I Can't Be Selfless
by longingparadise
Summary: When Vice-Admiral Kuzan joins Monkey D. Garp for a visit on Dawn Island, he is introduced to the man's five-year-old grandson Luffy. "I'm the coolest grandpa out there, Kuzan, but kids nowadays don't listen to their grandparents anymore. Leave a mark, impress him. I only want him to become an upright Marine one day." Pre-series.
1. Chapter 1

**I Can't Be Selfless**

 **.**

The water was unusually quiet – as it should be. They were sailing in the East Blue, after all. The weather tended to be fairly calm around here. Ideal conditions for taking a nap.

"Vice-Admiral Kuzan! We have spotted land and we will be docking in about half an hour!" a soldier shouted, his arm lifted into a perfect salute.

Kuzan pushed his sunglasses off and slowly sat up so he could lean against the wooden rail of the giant ship. He nodded shortly, dismissing the cadet, before rising to his full height to take a look at the land the man had been referring to.

Dawn Island. Not very small, not very big. A place that was under the ruling of the Goa Kingdom.

Kuzan hadn't ever visited this place before. As a Vice-Admiral he generally didn't have a whole lot to do in the East Blue. These seas were relatively peaceful compared to other places in the world. The few pirates that sailed through were usually weaker than their other counterparts. Kuzan's power was rarely needed in islands such as this one.

But his colleague, the Marine's famous hero Vice-Admiral Garp, was said to visit this place as often as he could. Apparently, he had family here. Briefly, he wondered what any family member of Garp would be like. Not much was known about the man other than the tales that had been spun about his notorious fist that was powerful enough to bring the former Pirate King to his knees.

He stretched, let his joints crack and turned towards his bicycle that he'd laid against the rail, contemplating whether he should take it with him. He decided to wait until they docked to make up his mind.

Finally, after half an hour, they arrived at the harbor and the many soldiers who had prepared themselves for this very moment threw the anchor overboard and docked the ship at the port.

He decided to avoid the mess that inevitably occurred whenever they arrived somewhere that allowed them to go on land. With a swift step, his foot met the wooden pier - softly, in a way that shouldn't be possible for a man of his size.

But although he inevitably stood out from the general mass through his height and his crisp Marine's coat, it was Vice-Admiral Garp that the lively town's people's attention focused on. No wonder, the man had a demanding presence that no one could simply ignore. Not to forget, he had just stepped out of a ship with a giant dog as its figurehead.

When Garp started walking towards the main street, Kuzan decided to follow him since he hadn't had any plans on what he would be doing once they arrived here anyway. The bike could remain on the ship for the time being.

"Where're you headed towards, Garp?"

The Marine hero didn't turn around. He just kept on walking until Kuzan had finally caught up, swinging a giant, stuffed sack around to pass the time.

"I've got no business here. We only docked at this city so the men could rest and gather some supplies for our way back to the Headquarters," the man answered.

"So we're not going to stay for long?" Kuzan wouldn't mind either way. They could afford to laze around for a while.

He had long understood why Garp had declined his promotion to become Admiral so many times before. His current position gave him as much liberty as one could get as a Marine. As a Vice-Admiral, you didn't have many superiors you had to listen to. At the same time, you didn't have to take on the responsibility and the workload that'd come with a higher rank. Most of the time, Garp did as he wished.

The man shrugged. "Let's see. Sengoku's been nagging me ever since we entered the East Blue but we all know that he doesn't mean it anyway." He laughed, loud and joyous, making all the people that had been eyeing them before, gawk openly at them now.

"Oh, I think Sengoku's very serious," Kuzan replied with a smile. Sailing with Garp never failed to lift his spirits. The man just knew how to take life easy.

"Whatever. The old geezer can come and get me if he needs me so bad," he retorted with an uncaring grin.

"So, if you're not planning on staying in this city, where are you headed towards?"

If possible, that huge grin of Garp's became even wider. "If we continue walking along the seaside, we'll eventually come across Foosha Village. That's a little, rural place where my grandson lives in. Wanna join me?"

Kuzan raised his eyebrows, surprised about having so willingly been invited to the man's home. "If you don't mind."

Garp laughed. "Not at all, Luffy loves meeting new people. The village itself is a little boring; not much going on there. But my little brat is enough to keep everyone on their feet."

So 'Luffy' must be his grandson's name. Briefly, he wondered whether he'd meet other family members of the Vice-Admiral, as well. The man hadn't mentioned anyone.

"What are you carrying in that sack?" Kuzan asked, motioning towards the giant bag on the old Marine's back.

Garp smirked mischievously. "I've raided our supplies. Luffy has a big appetite, you know. And his favorite food of all time is meat – a real man!"

Kuzan chuckled. "Oh my, how old is he?"

"Luffy? Five. But he stuffs more food into his little body than you could ever hope to, Kuzan!"

"Sounds like his grandfather then," Kuzan replied to which Garp started laughing loudly again.

"That's right! He's gonna take after me and become a strong Marine some day!"

 **.**

Idyllic, seemed like the most apt term to describe Foosha Village. Some hills here and there covered by healthy grass that little herds of cows ate from. A breeze, warm and mild, made the countless windmills work in a never ending rhythm.

The harmony was destroyed with one high-pitched scream.

"Gramps!"

While Kuzan had been busy enjoying the view, a little runt had run up on them and was now latched onto its grandfather's leg. Garp laughed and grabbed the child by the back of his neck to lift him up.

"Luffy, you've grown!"

Kuzan silently asked himself how little the boy must've been for this to be his grown state. He was tiny.

The child giggled. "I ate a lot, Gramps!"

Garp grinned. "I bet you did, brat!"

Suddenly, the old man paused and looked his grandson up and down. Kuzan had known Garp for a very long time, but he wasn't prepared for the pure, unconcealed joy that shone through his eyes when he asked, "You're wearing it?"

Kuzan gazed at the kid's clothes, trying to understand what had made the other man so happy. The child wore some shorts and a white shirt with the Marine's logo printed on the front. "Oh, yeah," Luffy squeaked, "the fishermen saw your ship at the docks, Gramps. When they told us that you're coming, Makino forced me to put it on."

Garp ran a hand through his grandson's hair. "I knew that she was a reasonable girl!" he bellowed and lifted the boy up to sit on his shoulders. Now that the tiny creature was finally at eye level with Kuzan, he could analyze him properly.

Skinny arms had wrapped themselves around the grandfather's head. They belonged to a boy with wide, round, coal-black eyes. His features were softened by the baby fat that hung on his chubby cheeks and was framed by a mess of unruly, jet-black hair.

"Hm? Gramps, who's that guy?" the boy asked while directly pointing into Kuzan's face. Quite rude, in his opinion, but what else did he expect from Garp's grandson?

"That's Vice-Admiral Kuzan, Luffy. He's a great Marine. Say hi," Garp introduced.

Kuzan narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. It was unusual of the fellow Marine to speak so highly of others. But Luffy didn't seem to have the same qualms and lifted his hand in a wave.

"Yo!"

Kuzan nodded in acknowledgement. "Hi."

Apparently, the introduction as a great Marine wasn't enough to hold Luffy's attention. Soon he looked down to stare at the sack that his grandfather was still carrying.

"Hey Gramps, what's in there?" Before the man could answer, Luffy's eyes grew huge and a bright smile spread over his face. "Did you bring gifts?"

Garp grinned. "Raided the Marine's supplies for you. There's gonna be lots of meat for dinner tonight!"

"Yay!" Luffy cheered. It was refreshing to see something so innocently simple make someone so happy. Then, the boy seemed to remember that he existed, too. "Hey glasses-guy, you're coming with us? The more, the merrier, right Gramps?"

"It's Vice-Admiral Kuzan, you brat. Be more respectful towards your elders," Garp grunted and started walking down the path. Kuzan followed.

"But Gramps, I'm not calling _you_ 'Vice-Admiral Garp'. Why should I say 'Vice-Admiral Kuzan' every time I want to talk with him? That's too long! Can I just say Mr. Kuzan?" Luffy whined and restlessly started twisting on the man's shoulders.

"Oh my, just 'Kuzan' will do, Luffy. Anything else makes me feel old," he interjected.

Luffy turned to look at him. His face, an open book to read, mirrored his confusion. "But you _are_ old!"

Suddenly, the child cried out. Garp had struck out and punched the boy on the side of his head. That blow couldn't have been too soft since an angry-red bruise started forming already.

Surprised, Kuzan shortly stopped in his tracks only to catch up with the other man seconds later. He knew that Garp was a strict soldier who preferred to use violence to get things to work his way. But seeing how fond he was of his grandson and how tenderly he had treated him before, he hadn't expected this outburst. Garp's uncaring demeanor proved that this wasn't a rare occurrence either.

Kuzan really wished that the old man wouldn't have done it. Because now, Luffy was crying. High-pitched, snotty sobs that he barely managed to breathe through. Those sounds were never nice to hear, especially coming from a child.

"Stop making such a fuss, you crybaby!" Garp hollered, trying to shake the boy who had buried his face in the man's hair off. He'd have to take a shower to wash the snot off.

"But Grandpa, it hurt!"

"You shouldn't have been such a brat then! You don't go around calling people old!"

Kuzan wondered why the man tried to teach the boy manners that he didn't have himself. Apparently, parenting never failed to make you into a hypocrite.

"But Grandpa," Luffy argued stubbornly, his tears gradually slowing down, "look at him! He _is_ old!"

Kuzan decided to join the discussion. "I'm not _that_ old."

In retrospect, was there any sense in arguing with a kid - a kid that was the grandson of one of the most bullheaded and unreasonable people he had met?  
As predicted, the child took his comment as a challenge and while gazing Kuzan unabashedly in the eyes, he demanded, "How old are you?"

"Thirty-five."

"Ha!" Luffy exclaimed victoriously. "You're already as good as dead! Gramps, how old are you?"

"Twenty."

"See?" the boy teased and stuck his tongue out. Brat. "You're even older than my grandpa. Gramps, twenty is less than thirty-five, right?"

"Right."

"I knew it!" Luffy squeaked and grinned cheekily into his direction. "You're anchor."

Garp laughed, seemingly having returned to his good mood. "It's _ancient_ , Luffy. _You're_ the anchor!"

At last, they arrived at a mid-sized house where the man lifted Luffy off his shoulders to put him back on the ground.  
It was a nice place. Kuzan could see the appeal of living on the hill that was a little offside the village and gave you a good view of the ocean. Somewhat too nice for the chaotic person that Garp was.

"Mr. Kuzan, you coming?"

Kuzan looked down to stare at the tiny child that had grabbed his pant leg and attempted to pull him towards the house. Suddenly, Luffy eased his hold and leaned his head back to gaze at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Hey Mr. Kuzan! Who's bigger, you or Grandpa?"

"I believe I'm taller than your grandfather," he replied serenely.

Luffy seemed incredibly impressed. "Wow," he marveled, "I've never seen someone bigger than Grandpa before."

"On other parts of the world, there are people who're far taller than me," Kuzan explained. His height wasn't a big deal most of the time.

"What, really?" Luffy asked excitedly and started hopping from one foot to the other, barely able to reign his energy in. "How tall? Like giants?"

Kuzan nodded. "They aren't that rare. You can find plenty of giants on the Grand Line."

"Hey!" Garp hollered. Apparently, he'd opened the door to the house while they'd been talking. "Luffy, put the grill out! I'll prepare the meat in the meantime."

"Okay, Gramps!" Before he could leave, though, he turned to Kuzan again. "You're gonna stay, Mr. Kuzan, yeah? You gotta tell me more stories about the giants!"

Kuzan wasn't given the opportunity to respond as Luffy ran off to get the grill. The man kept on watching his surroundings for a while before he decided to enter the house. The little, lonesome swing that had been bound on a nearby tree wouldn't be able to carry his weight.

Kuzan wasn't sure what he'd expected the old Marine's house to look like.  
Everything was kept exceedingly simple. The ground was built out of some dark, sturdy type of wood that didn't creak when you stepped on it and combined living room and kitchen. Some counters, a fridge, a stove and a round table with two chairs stood on one end of the room, a sofa and a couch on the other.  
That was all. Only a giant flag with the Marine's logo hung on the wall and decorated the room. Other than that, there was no knick-knack lying around.

Although Garp had his back turned to him, he'd known that Kuzan was staring. "The less stuff we have, the less can Luffy break," the man chuckled. "You could never hold the child indoors anyway and I'm rarely here so everything's kept a little spare."

Kuzan nodded and sat down on the broad, comfortable sofa while Garp prepared the meat that he'd brought with him. He could hear the clanking sound of Luffy pulling the grill to the front of the house. Soon, he entered the building to get the chairs, too. But when he struggled pushing the table around, Kuzan took pity on him and helped him carry it outside.

"Mr. Kuzan?" asked the exhausted boy who'd sat down on the little swing while Kuzan had made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

"Hm?"

"Have you been on the Grand Line before?"

The man pushed his sunglasses up. "Yes, that's where we sail most of the time, actually."

Forgetting his exhaustion, Luffy lightened up. "Really? Are there as many pirates there as they tell in the stories?"

He shrugged. "Probably even more."

Excitedly, Luffy jumped off the swing and hurried towards him. "And no one's found the One Piece yet?"

"No."

"Hey, Mr. Kuzan?"

"Hm?"

Luffy looked over his shoulder to check the house behind him. "Since you're anchor-"

"It's _ancient_ and I'm not _that_ ol-"

"Since you're so old, have you ever," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "have you ever seen the Pirate King before?"

Kuzan watched the little child that was staring at him with undivided attention. "Gol D. Roger? Yeah, I did see him before."

"Wow," Luffy marveled with sparkling, dreamy eyes. Kuzan had experienced countless people react to the dead Pirate King before. Many of them had expressed fear or hate; a good amount had felt greed when the man's treasure came to mind. Luffy, on the other hand, was filled with pure, unadulterated excitement. "Do you know of any of his adventures?"

Kuzan sluggishly scratched his head to buy some time. He wasn't sure how to respond to someone who wanted to talk about the world's once biggest criminal as if he'd been some hero. "Oh my, why don't you ask your grandfather? He's met Roger many times before. He even fought with him. I'm sure he knows more than I do."

Luffy pressed his forefinger in a shushing motion against his lips. "Shhhh," he whispered and frantically turned around to look at the house, presumably to check whether his grandfather had heard them. "Not so loud, stupid."

Kuzan blinked slowly when he realized that his intelligence had been insulted by a five-year-old airhead.

"Don't tell Gramps that we talked about the Pirate King, okay?" Luffy whispered conspiratorially.

"Why?"

The child shrugged. "He gets really mad and I don't want him to hit me again. Nothing hurts as bad as Grandpa's fist!"

Kuzan sighed and agreed with a silent nod just when Garp stepped out of the house, bringing a large bowl of the prepared meat.

That day, Kuzan learnt that Garp could grill some really good steak and that he hadn't been lying when he'd told him that his grandson had the ability to eat more than what should be possible. Then again, the way the boy moved and talked and laughed _constantly_ must cost him a considerable amount of energy.

But by the time the evening caved in, the kid had tired himself out and had fallen asleep on the little swing. Before his lax body could tip over and hit the ground, Garp caught him in a practiced motion and carried him into the house.

When he returned, he wore a tired smile on his wrinkled face. "How about a drink?" the old man asked nonchalantly.

Finally, Kuzan would find out the hidden intent behind this visit.

 **.**

 **A/N** **: Thank you all for reading:)**

 **I absolutely love the relationship between Garp and Luffy so I hope that I managed to portray that properly. By the way, Luffy is five years old, so this takes place before he's met Shanks or Ace.  
There's going to be one more chapter before I finish this little story off. At the latest, it'll be released sometime around next week. The title is going to make more sense then.**

 **Please tell me what you thought of this! I'm open for suggestions:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

 **.**

The Partys Bar was one of the few lively places in the little village which was probably due to the fact that it served exceptionally good sake. But tomorrow would be a weekday and it was near midnight, already. That is why two Marine Vice-Admirals were the only customers enjoying a drink.

Kuzan savored the peaceful moment because he knew that it wouldn't last. Garp had something on his mind and he was far too stubborn to be put off by Kuzan's nonchalant demeanor.

"Anything else?"

"No, thanks, Makino."

The girl disappeared, not bothering to linger around at the bar. She'd probably sensed that Garp wanted to be alone with him right now. Bartenders seemed to have good instincts when it came to their customers' moods.

Garp was stalling, which was strange. No doubt was the man an expert at deflecting when others needed something from him; But when _he_ was the one who wanted something, he usually got straight to the point.

The silence was interrupted by the creaking sound of the wooden bar door being opened. It was an old man supporting his short figure with a cane that entered.

"Garp," he greeted with a croaky voice before shifting his gaze to Kuzan to acknowledge him with a nod. "Vice-Admiral Kuzan."

He nodded back and returned to sipping from his glass of sake. He hadn't introduced himself to any of the villagers but someone must've recognized him and spread the word in the little community.

"Hey Mayor Woop Slap," Garp retorted. "How's it going?"

"Fine. But there's something I have to talk about with you before you leave again."

The old Marine nodded in silent understanding, as if he already knew what the guy with the cane wanted to speak about.

"Well, go ahead. I've got some time right now," he prompted.

Kuzan didn't miss the Mayor shifting his glasses and trying to shoot him an inconspicuous look. Whatever he wanted to bring up, it was a private matter. Kuzan was about to excuse himself when Garp said, "It's alright. He can hear whatever you have to say. It's about Luffy, right?"

Kuzan was glad that he wore his shades because they were the only barrier between the people in the room and his confused expression. Garp and he had known each other since some time, the man had even once saved his life. Still, they had never been exceptionally close. He couldn't grasp why the old man would trust him with something that seemed like it was a sensitive issue.

Woop Slap nodded and pulled a chair back to sit at their table. "Yes, it's about Luffy. I'm here to warn you, Garp. He's been talking about it again."

Garp scoffed half-heartedly. "Luffy talks a lot. We know better than to take him serious."

Woop Slap, disgruntled about having his concerns brushed off, hit his cane harshly against the wooden floor. "And we also know that the boy's got the attention span of a goldfish. But he's been repeating this nonsense for months now!"

Garp's weathered skin sagged down, making him appear tired and defeated in a way that seemed out of place. It was weird to see the man who always exuded so much confidence and energy, be so exhausted. "I know," he sighed.

Turning to Kuzan, he explained, "Luffy's been being a pain. He's been prattling about wanting to become a-" He paused and, judging by the red color his face took on, finally returned to his angry self that Kuzan knew all too well. "Kid's claiming that he wants to go to the sea and become a pirate!"

Kuzan barely managed to suppress a chuckle. "Are you serious? _Your_ grandson wants to become a pirate?" Life had some strange sense of humor.

Before Garp could answer in an enraged fashion, the Mayor returned to the root of the problem. "You have to do whatever it takes to keep these thoughts from festering in his mind. Nip these buds while they're still fresh."

Garp exasperatedly threw his massive hands up in the air but Woop Slap didn't even flinch like many others would've. He must be accustomed to the other man's mannerisms.

"Every time I catch him talking about that nonsense, I give him a good, grandfatherly fist of love and a speech about his future as a Marine. What else can I do?"

Crossing his arms, Woop Slap huffed and replied, "That fist of yours is doing no good. I'm starting to believe it's only strengthening his resolve to become the exact opposite of what you want him to. He's your grandson, Garp. I've never experienced this obstinacy that runs in your family to skip a generation before."

Although Kuzan had tried to drown the discussion out since he didn't believe that it was any of his business, he was alert enough to notice that the Mayor was implying towards something else.

"I know, I know," Garp grumbled. "But all you do is complain. If you think that I'm approaching this the wrong way, then, go ahead, tell me what I should do instead."

Woop Slap leaned back and rolled his eyes. Kuzan caught him gazing at their sake as if he deeply wished he could have some, too. "Isn't it obvious?" the man asked while restlessly tapping his cane against the table leg. "Keep him on a tighter leash. You're gone for months at a time and when you return, you never spend more than a few weeks with him before leaving again. Of course, your influence doesn't stick."

"What?" Garp shouted indignantly. "How can you say that I don't have any influence on him?"

"Well, I do have to admit that you're both completely insane, but that's something that runs in the blood," the old man replied dryly.

This time, Kuzan couldn't help but crack a small grin. So everyone in Garp's family was so… eccentric? The Marines could barely handle their famed hero and his antics; what would they do if Luffy ever chose to join them?

"Regardless," the Mayor continued, "my point stands. These dangerous fantasies of his are only going to get worse if you don't spare more time for him in the future."

A tense silence settled in the air as Garp straightened up in his seat, never breaking his stare to Woop Slap. The strengthened lines in his skin, now somehow deeper than usual, made him appear even more serious. "I don't have the option to return home at the end of the day, you old geezer. Sailing from one end of the world to the other takes some time."

"I know. But maybe it's time for you to realize that a man of the sea cannot be a man of his family at the same time."

It was a clear, final statement. Sure enough, Woop Slap used his cane to stand up, apparently having said his piece. Just for a moment, he halted his movements. "Remember," he added, "that you can never make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's a choice. Have a good night."

With that, he left the bar.

Garp groaned and grabbed the sake to drink straight from the bottle, leaving Kuzan to mull over the Mayor's parting words. The man had implied that the mistakes that Garp was currently committing with the treatment of Luffy weren't new. They had already been done before - with a son or a daughter who was currently nowhere in sight. Going by the Mayor's hints, it didn't exactly seem like they were a law-abiding citizen.

"So what're you planning to do?" Kuzan asked carefully, not sure whether it was his place to question the other man.

Garp sighed and put the liquor bottle down. "Old Woop Slap wants me to leave duty but I can't do that."

Kuzan nodded. He couldn't imagine Garp retiring anytime soon either. His restless energy wouldn't allow it.

A loud snap ran through the air when Garp hit his fist against the table. Disimpassionedly, Kuzan watched the sturdy construction break apart like a house of cards and the liquor bottles shatter into shards. Pity, the sake really had been good.

"This is all these pirates' fault!" Garp hollered. "As if being criminals wasn't enough, they romanticize their lifestyle and corrupt young children's minds!"

He rose from his chair and restlessly started to pace through the room. "Luffy's a kid and he's looking for fun. We have to convince him that being a Marine _is_ fun, hip…"

"Cool?"

"Exactly!" Garp stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him.

Kuzan raised his eyebrows. "Oh my - well, good luck with that. Though your chances aren't very good if he's still so opposed to the idea despite everything you've apparently already done."

"I know," Garp retorted and sat back down on his chair. "And you know why he doesn't listen to me?"

He shrugged. "Not a clue."

"Because I'm his grandfather," Garp answered resolutely. "Someone else needs to show Luffy that being a Marine is cool."

"Okay…" Kuzan commented carefully. He didn't have a good feeling about where this might lead towards.

Garp leaned forward until his elbows touched his knees to stare at Kuzan with hardened eyes. "Like I said," he continued, "I'm the coolest grandpa out there, Kuzan, but kids nowadays don't listen to their grandparents anymore. Leave a mark, impress him. I only want him to become an upright Marine one day."

"What?" Now Kuzan was glad that Garp had shattered their table and caused their drinks to spill. If not, he probably would've choked on something. "Are you honestly expecting me to deal with your kid grandson?"

Garp nodded as if his suggestion had been entirely sane and sound. Which it wasn't. Kuzan didn't deal with kids, he didn't know how to do it. Children seemed to have their own language. If you didn't speak it, you couldn't communicate with them – at least not in the way they needed to.

For a short moment, the face of a little, crying girl with black hair and blue eyes flashed in his memory. Nico Robin, the only child he had felt a connection to – but she wasn't even all that little anymore, she'd have to be sixteen-years-old by now. All those years ago, he had went against his orders and had let her escape from the island Ohara. Ever since, he'd felt as if he was somehow responsible for her.  
But even that had only ever been a distanced relationship – if it could be called that. It was rather a fragile tie, a thin thread that bound them together, created when Kuzan had made the decision to spare her young life.

"I can't handle kids," he asserted. "I wouldn't be of any help."

Garp shook his head. "Nonsense! Luffy loves everything abnormal! You'll feel an instant bond!"

Kuzan kept silent, not even offended at being called somewhat unconventional. Garp refused to let up, though. "You'll impress him because you're the very definition of _cool_ – get it?" The old man threw his head back to laugh at his awful pun.

Kuzan rolled his eyes. "I knew that you were planning something when you invited me so readily over."

Garp's laughing died out as he grew serious once again. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with one hand while using the other to massage his temples wearily. This man, who was celebrated as a hero for being able to corner the Pirate King several times, had been brought to his knees by mere worry for his little grandson.

"I don't know what else to do, Kuzan. I'm scared that he will stray from the right path."

Kuzan suppressed the urge to groan. Fear didn't suit Garp. "Don't expect to get anything out of this. I doubt that I'll be the one to convince Luffy of anything."

 **.**

He awoke to the sound of high-pitched ringing. He waited, hoping for the noise to let up, but the nerve-grating toll wouldn't stop. Behind his eyes, he tried to imagine being on a lonely island, waves washing against the sand the only sound in existence.

"Sorry Kuzan, did I wake you?"

He lifted his head from the feathery pillow to spot Luffy pitter-patter on bare feet through the kitchen-part of the house's main room.

"Wasn't me, though, it was the egg-timer. If I don't use it, I always forget that I left the eggs in the boiling water," the boy chattered away.

With a low groan, Kuzan let his head ease back to the pillow.  
From one moment to the next, the face of Luffy obtruded his view to the ceiling, his large eyes staring down at him with curiosity.

"Why do you sleep with your sunglasses on?"

"So that the light doesn't bother me too much when morning breaks."

"They don't break while you're sleeping?"

"No, I lie completely still."

Luffy lay his head to the side, looking as if he was trying to understand something immensely difficult. Then, "How many eggs do you want to eat?"

Kuzan shook his head. "I'm not hungry." They had eaten a lot of steak yesterday evening. All the sake he'd drunken afterwards killed the rest of this morning's potential appetite.

Shortly after he had agreed on having a conversation with his grandson, Garp and he had both returned to the man's house. It had already been far past midnight when they had arrived to Luffy, who'd woken up to have a midnight snack. Upon seeing that the kid had prepared a mattress and a pillow for him to sleep on, he had decided to spend the night with the little family when Garp had invited him to do so.

"Where's your grandfather?" he asked and sat up. His hair was probably a mess. As much as he loved to stretch out his long legs on a proper mattress, his curls suffered less when he just opted to sleep on his feet.

Luffy shrugged and returned to the kitchen counter. "Gone."

Kuzan stood up and bound his bandana around his head to tame the hairy chaos on his scalp. "Gone? You know where?"

The boy shook his head and opened the fridge to carry food to the little round table. "He always disappears for a day when he arrives here."

After putting the mattress and the pillow to the side and tidying his sleeping place up, he walked towards a coffee machine at the far end of the counter. It didn't seem to have been used often in the past, but it still worked. Grabbing his full cup, he sat down at the table. "You don't seem to be too sad about that," he commented.

"Hm?" Luffy grunted, apparently having forgotten what they'd been talking about.

"You don't seem all that sad about your grandfather being gone," Kuzan repeated.

The child grinned and sat down on the chair facing him. "I'm just happy that he didn't take me with him."

Kuzan raised his eyebrows and finally decided that the caffeine had given him enough energy to push his shades up and face the sunlight flooding the room. "Why's that?"

Luffy looked up from the egg that he futilely tried to remove the shells from. Seeing that it was too hot for his tender hands to hold, Kuzan reached over to shell it himself. The heat didn't reach him through his calloused skin.

"Thank you," Luffy said with a large smile upon receiving the shelled egg. "And I don't want to go with Gramps because he will only try to toughen me up again. The first day he arrives is nice because he's in a good mood and brings gifts; But after that, it isn't fun, at all."

While sipping from his coffee, Kuzan found that talking with children maybe wasn't that hard, after all. Actually, everything was going well, the conversation was flowing. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing.

"What do you mean, 'toughen up'?" he asked and gulped down some of his black brew.

Luffy shrugged and bit into the egg-sandwich he'd made. "You know, leaving me in the jungle over the weekend, throwing me into the abyss, stuff like that."

On the other hand, to hell with this. "What?"

"Gramps says that it builds character but it only hurts and makes me hungry," Luffy mumbled through his mouth full of half-chewed food. If Kuzan hadn't been too preoccupied with his concerns about Garp being a lunatic, he might've been disgusted. However, he didn't doubt Luffy for a second. The boy seemed so honest about everything he did and, frankly, this sounded exactly like something Garp would do _because_ of how crazy it was.

"Where are your parents?" he wondered before he could stop himself.

Way to go - Ask a child whose only apparent relative was his crazy grandfather about his absent parents. He'd do better keeping his mouth shut around kids.  
Still, what mother or father would trust their child with Garp, a man who left little children unprotected in a jungle or threw them single-handedly into an abyss?

Remaining distracted by his egg-sandwich, Luffy answered, "Don't have any."

Surprised, Kuzan noted that Luffy didn't seem all that upset by admitting that. If anything, he seemed to be occupied with his food.

"Why?" he decided to ask upon filing the unfazed reaction away.

"Don't know, never heard of them. I'm taking the last of the orange juice, okay?"

"Aren't you upset?" Kuzan finally wanted to know. Why was this kid so uncaring?

Finally, Luffy looked up from his plate to watch him with genuine, confused eyes. "Why be upset?"

Kuzan briefly debated whether he should voice his next question. It was somewhat - actually, immensely - insensitive. But his curiosity won out in the end. "Your parents are either gone because they're dead, or because they left you. Doesn't that make you sad or angry?"

Luffy leaned into his chair, all eggs finally finished, and contemplated the question as if he'd never thought about it before. He couldn't have tried too hard because he shook his head soon.

"I don't know them so I don't really care if they're dead," he answered bluntly. "And if they left," he shrugged, "I can understand that. I don't want to stay here either." A large, toothy smile spread over his face. "I'm gonna go to the sea and experience a lot of adventures!"

Kuzan gulped the lukewarm remains of his coffee down and remembered why he was talking with the boy in the first place. Convince him that becoming a pirate was a bad idea, right.

"You want to go to the city with me, Luffy?" Kuzan had to return to the port anyway and maybe they could speak on their way.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered excitedly and hopped down from his chair. Not sparing the messy table another glance, he grabbed Kuzan's arm to get him to stand up. His energy really knew no bounds.

Kuzan finally gave in and stood up to stretch out the kinks in his back while Luffy watched his tall form in amazement. The man grabbed his dark coat that he'd slung over the sofa the previous night and exited the house with the little boy on his tails.

As they walked down the little hill, Luffy asked, "Is your ship at the city's port, Kuzan?"

He nodded and pushed his sunglasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, we've docked there yesterday afternoon."

"Hey," Luffy called while struggling to keep up with the pace that Kuzan's long legs inevitably set. "Can I look at it from the inside? Gramps always says that it isn't a playground, but it must be fun to sail on such a big ship."

"Yeah, sure." Burying his hands in his pockets, Kuzan finally decided to steer towards the topic that Garp had wanted them to talk about. "Why don't you join the Marines when you grow up? They'd give you a ship once you've reached a certain rank."

Luffy crossed his arms. "I'm gonna get my own ship," he huffed.

"Do you have that much money?"

"I will when I find a big treasure," the child countered without an ounce of hesitance, as if his answer should've been obvious. Kuzan wondered whether overestimating one's own capabilities was something that kids did, or whether it was just ingrained in this family's blood. Probably both.

"Why not become a Marine, though?"

Luffy shrugged. "It's not fun."

Kuzan decided to put the lure out. "You get to experience a lot of adventures."

But the Mayor had been right when he had said that the boy was obstinate. Luffy frowned, which looked a little funny on his pudgy face, and declared, "Marines always have to do what others tell them to. I don't want to listen to anybody."

Kuzan couldn't negate that. In this system, even the Fleet Admiral received orders. You could always try to bend or avoid them as you saw fit, which was usually Garp's way of doing his job, but rarely could you outright refuse them – at least not without receiving some sort of counteraction.

"Everyone has to listen to somebody."

Luffy shook his head. "Not pirates, they do whatever they want."

"Even a pirate has to listen to their captain."

"That's why I'm gonna become the captain!" the child cheered self-assuredly. Kuzan realized that Luffy, though appearing to be an airhead, had extensively thought his plans for the future through.

"What if another, stronger pirate crew comes around to force their will on you? No one will protect you because you're an outlaw."

But Luffy's smile didn't falter. "No one will force me into anything."

Kuzan shook his head exasperatedly. "You're fantasizing."

His stride came to a halt when Luffy grabbed his coat and pulled it hard enough to gather his attention. He looked down, and was met with a grim expression. How had his mood taken such a sudden turn?

"There _is_ one man who can do whatever he wants."

Dismissive, Kuzan mocked, "Yeah? Who's that?"

"The Pirate King! I'm going to find the One Piece, become the Pirate King and be free!"

The Marine watched this child who had just proclaimed that he wanted to become the biggest criminal in the world. Luffy stared back unabashedly with unfaltering determination that brimmed and infected the air. He'd meant what he'd said.

Drowning out the serene sounds of nature, Kuzan tried to figure out what else to tell the kid. Luffy wanted freedom – something that the future as a Marine could never provide, at least not in the amount that he desired.

"Being a Marine will make you into a hero," he tried, because wasn't that something children wanted to be? Someone who other people loved and admired? "If you become a pirate, others will fear and shun you."

"Don't care," Luffy asserted without the slightest bit of hesitance. "I will have my crew by my side."

Kuzan found himself running out of arguments. "It is dangerous. The Marines, the World Government, bounty hunters and other pirates will target you." If Kuzan hadn't been Kuzan, the very embodiment of cool, calm and collected, he would've sounded desperate by now.

Luffy, oblivious to his inner turmoil, giggled. "Of course, silly. It wouldn't be exciting if it wasn't dangerous. That's part of the adventure!"

It was then that Kuzan decided to go the last step. The mere idea of doing this hadn't even occurred to him before; he hadn't thought he'd be pushed this far. But now, it was the single option that was left. If someone was so determined, there was one thing that could steer them away from trying to achieve their goal.

A familiar cool rush flowed through his veins when he created a wave of ice to wash the little boy against the solid trunk of a tree. The high-pitched yelp of surprise rang through his ears and almost let him consider letting the child go, but he persisted.

When the initial shock that had caused Luffy to freeze up died down, the boy started struggling and hitting against the ice that continued on enveloping and pinning him to the tree behind him. Soon, all movement was restricted until all that Luffy could do was tremble from both cold and fear.

"What- What is that? Kuzan, help me!" Luffy shouted, his voice shaky with panic, while futilely struggling to break away.

Hearing Luffy's jittery voice made Kuzan consider whether he was taking this too far. But there was no alternative road to choose from. With ease, he grew an icicle in his hand, forming its end to be long and sharp. One touch and it would cut.

"Kuzan? Did you make the ice?" Miraculously, Luffy had calmed down. Instead of flaying around, he was curiously inspecting the ice-spear in Kuzan's hand.

"Cool," Luffy whispered. In the matter of one second, his energy had returned and a bright smile had spread over his face. Kuzan could feel him quivering with excitement against the ice-wall. "Can you show me how to do that, Kuzan?"

The man didn't answer or gave any indication that he'd heard the child speak. He merely lifted the sharp-edged ice up until only a hair's width of distance separated it from the boy's soft skin of his throat.

Amazingly, Luffy grew still, as if the ice hadn't only enveloped but actually frozen his whole form up. It was strange to see him this motionless.  
Kuzan watched him begin to gulp before changing his mind and wisely deciding to refrain from it. Even the littlest movement would've caused his fragile skin to come into contact with the sharp edge of the blade.

"If you're that resolute on becoming a pirate, there's only one thing left for me to do," he announced, his tone of voice frosty and monotone. "Since I am a Marine, it is my duty to exterminate potential criminals."

As Luffy watched him, Kuzan wondered when this kid had become so unreadable. During the entire time they had been together, he had been an open book. Now, his face was a blank canvas.

His grip around the ice-blade tightened when the neutral expression morphed into a smile. Luffy kept on staring into his eyes, his coal-black irises shining in mirth and glee, as he said, "Okay."

"What?" he managed to ask, his voice steady despite the surprise and confusion that consumed him.

Luffy giggled. "I guess that's it."

Numbly, Kuzan registered the blood seeping down his ice, pearling over the cold, solid substance and eventually sinking into the grass underneath. Its source was the open cut on Luffy's throat that had been caused when he'd spoken.

But he could only focus on Luffy's smile.

Kuzan knew fear of death. Every human being, even a child who couldn't grasp the concept of death, had it instilled in them. It was something instinctual that every creature with some sort of consciousness possessed.

This peace, this acceptance in the face of ceasing to exist – Kuzan had only seen it once before. For the first time in years, Kuzan felt a chill run down his spine.

He let the ice that was constricting Luffy melt away. "Do you want to die?" he mused, almost to himself.

Luffy looked up from the ground he was now sitting on. He shook his head slowly, still oblivious to his wound. "Of course, not. But," he lay his head to the side and scratched his scalp, "when it ends, it ends. I did all I could do."

And it was that, what bothered him. Kuzan _had_ seen people smile, even laugh when met with the prospect of death. But it had almost always been an act, ironic, or at least bittersweet.  
But Luffy had looked genuinely at ease. There was no deeper meaning behind this placid serenity; just a grotesque form of acceptance that should go against human nature.

From one moment to the next, the calmness in the child's features was replaced with a familiar enraged one. "Why did you do that anyway?"

Kuzan crouched down, yet still found himself towering over Luffy. "Did I scare you?" Yes, he remembered, Luffy had initially been scared before he'd been introduced to the promise of death.

The boy bit down on his quivering bottom lip and shook his head resolutely. "No, not at all."

"You're a terrible liar," Kuzan noted. The kid looked like he was about to cry. But after what had just happened, Kuzan was glad to get some sort of normal reaction for a child of his age.

Luffy used his fist to rub the tears away and stood up. "You can try to arrest or kill me. I will become the Pirate King!"

"Don't you care, at all?" the Marine pressed, his voice now exhausted with the frustration he felt. "If not for your own life, than for your grandfather's? Do you really want to push him into the position of having to kill his own grandson? Can't you just show a little bit of selflessness?"

Kuzan stopped himself before he could continue his tirade. The last time he'd lost his cool like that, had been long ago. But this boy, a mere five-year-old, managed to drive him up the wall like no one else could.

Luffy seemed unperturbed by his rare display of strong emotions. "What does 'selfless' mean?"

The man sighed. "To set aside your own wishes for the sake of someone else."

Luffy frowned. "Then I can't be selfless," he declared. "Not like that. This is my life. Gramps can do with his life whatever he wants; I'm going to make with mine whatever I want."

It was then that Kuzan finally understood why Luffy had been so nonchalant about his parents possibly having abandoned him. The boy believed in freedom and following your dreams. If his parents had left to be free and fulfill their dreams, then that was okay with him; He planned on doing the exact same thing.  
Kuzan wasn't sure whether that was an attitude too wise or too dumb for someone like Luffy to have.

His gaze moved to the cut on the child's throat that had fortunately stopped bleeding. He'd only wanted to scare Luffy. Fear for one's own life was usually a good motivator. Threatening someone's bare existence got people to forget about their ideals. He hadn't counted on Luffy not being afraid of death.

"Come on," the man prompted and stood up. After a short moment of contemplation, he took his blue bandana off and tied it loosely around Luffy's neck. No need for the people in town to know that he'd threatened a child's life, even if it only had been pretense.

Luffy grinned. "You will have to buy me lunch as an apology."

Kuzan forced the corners of his lips to lift upwards. "Oh my, I guess I will have to do that."

When the boy cheered and ran ahead to get to the city, and by extension to his next meal, faster, the Marine could only watch him as a terrible sense of foreboding ran through his bones.

This kid would live fast and steer his life to a sudden crash.

A romantic thought for so many people; They all wanted to live wild, yet no one had the courage to actually do it - of course, they didn't. It went against a basic human need, namely the desire for safety. Luffy wasn't interested in that and Kuzan had yet to decide whether that was a clear indicator for insanity.

Monkey D. Luffy would live his life to the fullest extent; wild, fast and always on the lookout for the next source of fun. But he would also die young. Childish, immature, innocent but happy, he would leave this world soon.

Kuzan didn't have the energy to judge whether this was the right or the wrong way to go. But he had only time until they arrived at the port to decide. Then, he would let the child loose, off to his own road, the station of death close by. Or, he'd give himself a push and do something bold for the first time in years. But he doubted that he was that selfless.

 **.**

 **A/N:** **For everyone thinking that the last paragraph made no sense whatsoever: It hints towards the possible future of this series.  
Originally, I intended this story to end with Kuzan coming to the conclusion that there's nothing he can do to change Luffy's resolve. That's the (untold) consequence of this chapter. **

**Then, some alternative endings popped into my head:  
** **1.** **Kuzan taking Luffy under his wing to keep him safe/make sure he becomes strong enough to protect himself to prevent the gloomy end.  
** **2.** **Kuzan convincing Garp to drop Luffy off at a Marine base to develop on his own.**

 **Each ending will probably be some sort of 5k-words business and they will be posted as SEPARATE STORIES. The story you've just read will only be a prequel.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading:) Leave me a review, please!**

 **You can also always contact me through my tumblr 'desiringparadise'**


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